Quinoa-Stuffed Kohlrabi

June 4, 2012

Happy Monday. I hope your week is off to a great start! Mine is. I’ve been spending lots of time in the kitchen cooking, baking and taste-testing different recipes. I will be flying back to London on Friday so I have to take advantage of having a fully-equipped kitchen as long as I’m here.

We just had dinner, Quinoa-Stuffed Kohlrabi and I thought I’d share the recipe with you. The Kohlrabi came straight from the garden! How I love growing my own vegetables or rather have my mom do it for me! 🙂

The kohlrabi is part of the Brassica family, as are kale, cauliflower and broccoli so taste and texture-wise they are very similar. We usually peel and slice up kohlrabi as a side for sandwiches but they are the perfect size to be filled. So that’s what I did!

This recipe serves 2, but can easily be adapted to serve as many as you want. All you need are more kohlrabi and more quinoa!

Start by cooking about 1/2 cup quinoa in 1 cup of vegetable broth. Once it’s fully cooked set it aside and let it cook.

Now it’s time to get those kohlrabi.

Peel them and then cut off the bottom so they stand up straight and also cut off about 2cm from the top. Then using a spoon (I used an ice cream scooper 🙂 ) scoop out the flesh. Make sure that the “wall” is thick enough and that it can withstand the cooking and filling process. We will need the flesh later!!! Now heat up a pot of water and add a tsp. of salt.

Once the water is boiling transfer the kohlrabi shells and tops to the pot. Turn down the heat and let the kohlrabi simmer for about 7-10 minutes. The exact time will depend on the size and thickness of the kohlrabi. The shells should be soft but not too soggy otherwise they might fall apart whilst you fill them.

Once they are cooked, remove the shells and tops from the water and place them on a paper towel to dry and cool. You will want to place the shells on the towel up-side-down to let the water run out. I used tongs for this.

Since you already have the water boiling, add a handful of frozen spinach to the hot water and let it simmer until it is blanched. You can use a different pot of water but I tried to use as little dishes as possible. When the spinach is cooked, drain it, let it cool and let the excess water drip off.

In the meantime cut and prepare the rest of your ingredients: chop 1 small red onion, roughly chop herbs (rosemary and parsley) and roughly chop the kohlrabi flesh.

Now preheat the oven to 150°C. Prepare a oven-proof dish and add 1 can (400 ml) of chopped tomatoes and the kohlrabi flesh. Add salt and pepper, half of the chopped herbs and some basil. Transfer the dish to the oven and let the sauce heat up a little.

Then heat up 2 tbsp. of olive in a pot. Once hot, add the chopped onion, the spinach and cooked quinoa. Stir for about 3 minutes then add between 1/8 cup and 1/4 cup of cheese. The amount of cheese really depends on your personal preference and can be omitted if desired. Season the mixture with salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg. Add the other half of the chopped herbs and filled the kohlrabi shells with quinoa-mixture.

Add some more cheese on top of the filling and place the kohlrabi into the tomato sauce that should be heating up in the oven. Wait for 2o minutes (until the cheese has melted) then place the top onto the filling and cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes, then remove from the oven, add fresh herbs and serve immediately.